Russia v Uruguay

Marat Izmailov has many fans in the Russian media, where several commentators insist that he is the country's most gifted player since the end of the Soviet era – yes, even more technically skilled than Andrei Arshavin. Yet Izmailov has not played a single match for Russia in the past five years, partially because of successive injuries but mainly because managers have considered him too individualistic. That could be changing, however, as Dick Advocaat has finally summoned the Sporting Lisbon forward, meaning that against Uruguay on Friday Russia could deploy the potentially wonderful duo of Izmailov and Arshavin just behind the lone forward, Aleksandr Kerzhakov, in their familiar 4-3-2-1 formation. All three of those players ended the season in splendid form, Arshavin excelling in the last two months after a drab start to his loan spell at Zenit St Petersburg.

Depending on the opposition and course of events, Advocaat is also apt to deploy a target-man along with, or rather than, the nimble Kerzhakhov, and three players are competing for that role before the final Euro 2012 squad is announced on Monday: Pavel Pogrebnyak seems certain to go, but one of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Artem Dzyuba is likely to get the heave-ho.

Consistency of selection has been a hallmark of Advocaat's reign but, in addition to the sudden change-of-mind on Izmailov, the manager may have to introduce a new face in the centre of defence, as Aleksei Berezutski has pulled out of the squad injured. The "new" face may turn out to be 35-year-old Roman Sharonov, a surprise inclusion in Advocaat's preliminary squad. The manager also has a big decision to make behind the defence, as goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has returned to action after eight months out through injury and is hoping to get the No1 jersey back off Vyacheslav Malafeev, who has excelled in the long-time stalwart's absence.

France v Iceland

France are unbeaten in 18 matches and won away to Germany in their last outing, yet Laurent Blanc's team is still a work in progress. He had yet to settle on several slots in the side and will continue tinkering with his line-up against Iceland on Sunday and the following friendly against Serbia before, he says, using the final warm-up match, against Estonia on 5 June, to deploy the team that will start against England on 11 June.

Mathieu Debuchy's superb performance in the victory over Germany has probably solved one problem – how to fill the right-back berth following Bacary Sagna's injury – but the illness to Eric Abidal means the left-back position is up for grabs. Patrice Evra is hoping he will get the chance to complete his redemption for Les Bleus and not be one of the three players cut when Blanc whittles his 26-man provisional squad down to 23 next week. Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami seem to have become Blanc's first-choice partnership in the centre of defence but the 23-year-old Montepellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, fresh from winning Ligue 1 last week, is hoping to win his first cap against Iceland and challenge for a starting place.

Further forward, Franck Ribéry will be missing as he has been given time off to recover from his exertions with Bayern Munich, while Hatem Ben Arfa is hoping he will make the cut, and against Iceland could be given the opportunity to show that he can provide the sort of cutting passes that will solve the main offensive problem that Blanc has lamented recently: an inability to consistently turn good possession into chances. Against Iceland that could entail supplying passes for Karim Benzema, with whom Ben Arfa has not always seen eye-to-eye, or Montpellier's Olivier Giroud, with the team's other surefire striker, Loic Rémy, currently struggling with injury.

Internecine squabbles may have turned France's last two trips to major tournament into humiliating farces but Blanc says he is relishing the "electricity" that he already detects in the squad as players vie with each other first for a place in the final 23 and then for a spot in the first XI.

Switzerland v Germany

With the eight Bayern Munich players in Germany's provisional squad still drying their tears following a traumatic end to the season in which they managed to lose the Bundesliga, the German Cup final and the Champions League final, Joachim Löw will field an experimental side in Basel on Saturday. That gives several players a chance to stake a late claim for a ticket to the Euros before the squad is cut from 27 to 23 next week. The "Chelsea Blues", as the Bayern players' distress has become known, has, along with the defeat to France, tempered pre-Euro optimism, but a strong showing against a slick young Swiss side could cheer the nation up and perhaps give Bayern players even more to fret about. Real Madrid's Sami Khedira seems certain to go to the Euros but against Switzerland he will have a prime opportunity to nail down a midfield starting place, possibly ahead of Bayern's Toni Kroos. On the other hand, no one is going to displace Philipp Lahm from the first-choice team regardless of how they do against Switzerland, but a strong showing by either Marcel Schmelzer or Tim Hoogland may determine who goes as the Bayern's captain's back-up.

Mario Gomez's continued grieving, meanwhile, means he will not have the opportunity to oust either Miroslav Klose or Lukas Podolski, who seem virtually certain to start in attack at the Euros. Podolski excelled at the last two tournaments for Germany on the back of glum club seasons so there is much interest to see whether he will do even better at the Euros following a superb campaign with Köln.

Meanwhile, the striker's soon-to-be Arsenal team-mate, Per Mertesacker, will start against the Swiss fitness permitting and he needs to impress to stave off challenges for a starting place. Switzerland can be counted on to give him a thorough work-out.